Montgomery County sentinel., 1887-12-30
on hand at the time will fall in value.

on hand at the time will fall in value 1t
seems n me, though, that our oppressive
duty now involves hardships TO everybody.
In the first case the loss may be so appor-
toned finally that only the few will feel II
the other hits capital and labor alike. Hard
ship or no hardship, the duty should be
taken off, and let US arrange q new condition
of affairs, wherein each class of sufferers,
whether employers or employees, will have
an opportunity Of balancing up the account.
"What would the result be? New life TO
US all. We are whitening, so 10 speak, from
an overdose of paternal government. You
have heard the story Of the hen who was
awluiy good to her chicks during the day
scratched for them and warmed them and
all that-but at night she trod on them, one
after another, until the life was pretty well
crushed out of the critters Well, that's just
what the tariff is doing to us--it is kicking
the stuffing out of US, 80 10 speak If we
can get free raw material think it will, to
considerable extent, have the effect to
broaden our market. We shall get Canada's
trade, that's certain, and we can supply very
nearly the whole of our home market. Fluc
tuations will not be 50 large. Now, when
ever we happen to have surplus there is
no outlet for it. Prices never go low enough
to enable us to export, and if they did the
fluctuations would be simply enormous.
"Our labor would certainly be better of,
because with free stuffs and even with It.
duction OF tax on foreign goods we should
be able TO give our help more steady en-
poyment than we do now
"rhe situation, as | say, is only in an ag-
gravated form what We anticipated four
years ago. The same causes that began to
operate then are fully working now. II the
condition doesn't change we shall have TO
give up making our line Of wooen goods.
The fact is that now we are running alto
gether into coarse material. We should
like to indulge in the fine goods, but the
cost of the stuff Is too high. One of the
worst things that has hurt worsted mills is
that they have put less duty on worsted
goods than on material proportionally. This
must be equalized. As an example Of the
inequality OF duties, take iron. For every
thing imported made of this substance we
have 10 pay tremendously. | suppose our
machinery must cost us at least go per cent.
more than it does people abroad.
"To return TO the subject of the duty on
imported goods, | don't think much should
be said about that. You see, if we get the
relief we seek it will come to the question
of labor. We cannot fairly estimate, there
fore, what per centage OF advantage We may
require II may be less or more. We have
discovered that in good many places on
the other side they pay only about half that
we pay here The proportion of labor will
vary according to the fineness of the goods;
the finer they are the larger the prop r.ion
of labor. This is because it requires more
work in finishing. 1t may very we'll happen
that in fine cassimeres, for instance, lesions
have to BE- remedied by hand, and it may
cost dollar yard extra for this"
"Heaven knows the tariff hasn't projected
us. 1t isn't protection-it is destruction. 1t
becomes necessary To do something Tor US
or our machines will be stopped altogether.
Here is our half million of capital in
property and machines But as my nephew
Roland here says, what its present value Is
cannot be estimated, and its place in the
annual balance sheet becomes extremely
problematica The losses aud cut throat
competition in the last two years are like
the final straw that broke the camel down"